Appliance for depositing and/or picking up packages



NovQlO, 1931 R. DRUMMQND APPLIANCE FOR DEPOSITI NG AND/OR PICKING-UP PACKAGES Filed June' 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0 0: T Dwuanvmvo A TTORNE YS.

Nov. 10, 1931. R. DRUMMOND 1,830,986

APPLIANCE FOR DEPOSITING AND/OR PICKING-UP PACKAGES Filed June 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE YS.

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 7 ROHERT DRUMMOND, OF GRANGEMOUTH, SCOTLAND APPLIANCE r nnros rrme Ann/en Pi-GEKING UP {PACKAGES a neaem filed Jane 22, .1929. semi No. 373,038L

The present invent-ion relates to improvements in means for depositing and or picking up packages irom a vehicle in motion, and its principal object is to provide a convenient means for an airplane "to deposit a conminer for (matter and at the lsanae time to prick upano'ther container while inflight.

' Another object 0EE ray-invention is to pro- :vide means of the character described in I!) which the momentum of the mail container to be deposited is transferred "to thecontainer to be picked up so that the depositedcon 'tai-ner loses its momentum and'drops while the picked up container receives an initial 185 momentum and allows the; entire operation of exchanging one for the other/to be perdonned without any noticeable jar or shock.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the character described in "i -2 which the mail container to be deposited is "held releasably and is released by impact "withthemail containereo-bepicked up, which latter :is automatically gripped as the FLO-H1161 is released.

It is further proposed in the present invention to provide suitablenieans :for g-uiding the mail container to-be depositedftoward theicontainer to be picked up for effecting ankimpact by which ioneecontainer is released 2811101 the othercontaineris picked up, and by which the momentum is transferred imm the former container to the latter.

Further objects and advantages of myinvention will appear as the specification pro- Tlaepneferred form of -my invention is il- I luetrate'd in the accompanying drawings, n1

which Z Figure 1 showsa rr'ont viewo-f my appliance, I v n I Figure 32 a vertical section taken along line Q2--2 of Figure 1, i i

Figaro 3 a :rear a view my device,

View illustrating the Figure i a schematic useof my-device a-nd p p Figurea plan view of a guideway lead- 'ing map to the container tobe picked up. 7

While I have shown only-the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have itnndensfliood that various changes filI'IIlCdlfiC ations may be made Within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing ironi the spirit of the invention. i itsqpreferred form, my device comprises a-fra-rne l wahich may be of an suitable forn 1 but which} is preferably mac in theshape shownin the drawings so as tocomp-rise an annular body 2 having aweb 3 extending up wa-rd-ly for 'connection to a rope 'or cable 4-, by means of which the device may be suspended from an airplane indicated at 6, and having twoo-ther webs 7-and 8 extendingtherefroin radially, the three webs being preferably 7 spaced one hundred and twenty degrees apart.

The body portion is provided with a'central perfiomation asiat 9 and has a rearwardlyprojecting frusto-conical flange 10, adapted to torma seat for-the container 11 shown in-dot-ted lines, which latter is filled with mail and is intended to be, deposited The c0n- 7 tainer' is held'to its seat'bymeans of three arms 12 pivoted in the three webs respectively as at 13 and held in engagement with the container 11 by means of three triggers 14 pivoted :inthe flange 1-0 as shown at 15 v and formed'at one end with books 16 extendthe container 11. For nicer adjustment screws 1-9 are provided in the ends of the arms Whicharea-daptedto entera groove 20 formed in the circumference of thecontainer' 11.

Strongsprings 21 connect the arms with stationary ,points 22 of the webs and tend to $5 pull the arms away from the container for releasing the latter, the springsebeing held under tension by the triggersl i;

The three triggers Mare shaped so that their :free ends extend through the central perforation in the body 2 and :into contact or close proximity with a diaphragm .23 mounted in (front of the opening in the :body 2 and supported by means of three spring arms 24'. It will .be noted. thatv when this diaphragm isvstmickbya body from in front, it will vreleasethewthiaee triggers and allow the springs 21 -to withdraw the arms 12 from holding engagement with the fcontai-nerjll, whereby the latter is made to drop.

The diaphragm 23 is preferably formed with a plurality of lips 26 preventing the diaphragm from passing through the central perforation.

The arms 12 are formed with extensions 27 in front of the frame, and the arms and extensions are shaped in such a manner that when the arms are in holding engagement with the container 11 the extensions in front are substantially parallel and leave an opening between the same so that they may con-' veniently straddle a second container 29 of substantially the same proportions that may be supported on a suitable frame indicated at 28 in Figure 4 with freedom of removability. The extensions 27 have suitable gripping members 27 mounted in the ends thereof. It will be seen that when the diaphragm 23 is made to strike the second container shown at 29, the triggers 16 release'the container 11 and the springs 21 draw the arms 12 away from the container while at the same time causing the extensions 27 to grip the new container 29. At the same time the impact between the two containers serves to transmit the momentum of the first container to the second container so that the first container drops whilethe second container receives an initial momentum, allowing the frame to continue its flight without any interruption or any shock caused by the exchange of the two containers.

lVhere my appliance is to he used in connection with airplanes, some special means should be provided for guiding the appliance for proper impact with the stationary container. For this purpose I provide a rudder 30 which causes the entire device to travel through the air without turning andtwisting. For guiding the device directly up to the stationary container, I preferably provide a track 31 wide open at one end and narrowing down at the other end so that the pilot in approaching the station where the exchange is to be made can guide his airplane in such a manner that the rudder enters at the wide open end of the track and travels inside of the track for bringing the container 11 of his appliance into exact vertical alignment with the container 29 supported above the track. For securing horizontal alignment, different schemes may be resorted to, one of the simplest schemes probably being the arrangement of two rollers'32 'disposedon opposite sides of the rudder and adapted to ride onthe track, the rollers, of course, being dis- 1 posed so as to bring theycontainer 11 into the horizontal plane of the stationary container 29.

The containers for the mail are preferably constructed of standard dimensions, and it might be wellto have th front end of the container separated from the rest by a di visional wall indicated at 33 so as to provide a front chamber which might be filled with rails of the track and the rollers 32 ride on compressed air through any suitable means as, for instance, the valve 34, to provide a cushioning effect. The container itself would preferably be in the form of a cylinder and might have a piston 35 reciprocable therein adapted for operation by means of an operating element 36 for forcing the mail contained within the container into a close compact mass. The container might have a quarter section of its circumference hinged along the top as shown at 37 for giving access to the interior.-. v

The manner of using my appliance will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The mail to be deposited is arranged inthe container while the latter is in the airplane, whereupon the container is fastened in my appliancebetween the arms 12 with its front end resting againstthe flange 10 and with the triggers set in the manner previously; described. The appliance is then lowered from the airplane, and the pilot when approaching the track 31 guides his airplane so that the rudder enters between the two the track. As the appliance advances in this position, it is centrally aligned with the container 29 which has been filled with mail at the station and which is to be exchanged for the container 11. As the diaphragm is struck by the container-29, it releases the triggers 14, allowing the arms 12 to snap away from the container 11 which drops, while the extensions 27, under the influence of the springs 21, grip the container 29. The impact'between the two containers serves to transfer the momentum from container 11 to container 29, causing the first container to drop and the second container to continue with aninitial speed equal to the former speed of the con-' tainer 11, so that the entire transaction takes place without any strain onthe rope 4 and without any sudden pulling or jerking on the airplane. In fact, the entire operation is performed so smoothly that the same will not be 1 0 felt at all by the pilot and passengers in the airplane, and the latter may pursue its course without any interruption.

'Iclaim: r

1. In a device of the character described, means for moving an object for impact with an object removably mounted on a supporting element, and means actuated by thelmpact for releasing the first object and for gripping the second object. 1 2. In a device of the character described, a frame, means for moving the same for impact with an object 'removably mounted on a supporting element, means-carried by the frame and actuated by theimpact for gripping the object, and means actuated by the impact for transmitting initial momentum to the' object substantially equal to the momentum of the frame.

3. In a device of the character described, a

an airplane, means associated with the frame for exchange while in flight of an object carried by the framefor an object removably mounted on a supporting element, and means for guiding the frame to the object comprising a rudder associated with the frame and a stationary guideway for the same.

4. In a device of the character described, a movable frame having a plurality of coacting members adapted to'releasably hold an object, means carried by the frame for holding the members in active position, and an element supported on the frame adapted to act on the members for releasing the object when the said element strikes a second obect.

5. In a device of the character described, a movable frame having a plurality of coacting members adapted to releasably hold an object, a plurality of triggers pivoted in the frame and adapted to hold the members in active position and a diaphragm mounted in the frame in front of theobject adapted to release the triggers when the diaphragm is struck by a second. object. a

6. In a device ofthe character described, a

movable frame having a plurality of coacting members adapted to releasably hold an object, means carried by the frame for holding the members in active position, and an element supported on the frame adapted to act on the members for releasing the object when the said element strikes a second object, the said members having coacting extensions and having spring means active thereon for cans ing the extensions to grip the second object when the first object is released,

7. In a device of the character described, a movable frame having means for holding an object, means responsive to impact with a,

second object for releasing the first object and means responsive to the same impact for gripping the second object While the first obtion by the latter when the diaphragm is struck by a second object, the arms having extensions projecting forward of the diaphragm so as to encircle the second object when the diaphragm approaches the same I and having spring means causing the extensions to grip the second obj ectwhen the triggers are released.

10. In a device of the character described, a frame having means associated therewith for releasably holding an object, means for removably supporting a second'object for impact by thefirst object whereby momentum is transferred from the latter to the former and means operable inresponse to the impact for releasing the first object and for gripping the second object. 7 ROBERT DRUMMOND.

ject is released, whereby the momentum of the first object is transferred to the second object.

8. In a device of the character described, a movable frame having a plurality of coacting arms adapted to releasably hold an object, a diaphragm mounted in the frame in w front of the object, triggers mounted on the frame for holding the arms in active position on the object and extending into operative roximity of the diaphragm for operation 1y the latter when the diaphragm is struck by a sceond object.

9. In a device of the character described, a movable frame'having a plurality of coacting arms adapted to releasably hold an object, a diaphragm mounted inthe frame in front of the object, triggers mounted on the frame for holding the arms in active position on the object and extending into opera tive proximity of the diaphragm for opera- 

